The Most Important Gift...

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q5wlcuggi7guinNBYyfg7NYfa51WOSqFFvEXW7jkt9BJmqe2z-DyihHz0GG4BAqh9EedWkVhpE4ZJEeQfWTC1a420klR5uBOIOc70V1-lxJfIfnmyjynuxlha7j24gf8AV1MNiLNEccK/s1600-h/love+box.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282684500824914082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q5wlcuggi7guinNBYyfg7NYfa51WOSqFFvEXW7jkt9BJmqe2z-DyihHz0GG4BAqh9EedWkVhpE4ZJEeQfWTC1a420klR5uBOIOc70V1-lxJfIfnmyjynuxlha7j24gf8AV1MNiLNEccK/s320/love+box.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 282px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#666600;">Christmas is almost here, as I think back on my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">favorite</span></span> gifts from years past...I can't remember any! More<strong> stuff</strong> is not my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">favorite</span></span> gift...because I can't even remember what I have gotten from year to year!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">My husband has spoiled me with all sorts of beautiful things...but honestly, I don't remember what I got for Christmas 2008.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">So with that in mind we are not giving gifts...other than the most important gift of all...<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ourselves</span>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">I saved all of his "love" email/ letters from our year of dating and I put them in a special box.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">On my birthdays I ask for a love letter. And now with my <strong>no more stuff </strong>mantra I am receiving what I really want...and that is his expression of love for me in the form of a <em>love letter for</em> Christmas. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">I can go back through the box and read the progression of our romance, flush with intoxication and now after five years, a deeper enduring love, with the punctuation of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">life's</span> journey through ups and downs, our bond has tied us tightly together. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">Letters are becoming a thing of the past in our email age. If you get an email from your loved ones that is endearing, print it out and save it in a special box.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">I encourage you to write a love letter to those you love. They will have your words <em>forever</em> and they mean so much more than a gift that you won't remember next year!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;">PS -- We also have a tradition of going out to dinner, just the two of us on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Christmas</span> eve.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#666600;"></span></div>

The Most Important Gift...

Christmas is almost here, as I think back on my favorite gifts from years past...I can't remember any! More stuff is not my favorite ...

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It's a Ralph Lauren Christmas!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA4fbKGlGxv3avLph1HSBhSr8_xZWmLALjeF_QSs5dxoA29wJitnQvQlvqmxCZf9Y5hdOohUHVXjPDOmRy51AEtpugAbct3I5uuZkPCd6lTf9pI3QhcJXEzBOR8n3JY_9UKb8Nww2VqEP/s1600-h/100_4194.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282671822387336626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA4fbKGlGxv3avLph1HSBhSr8_xZWmLALjeF_QSs5dxoA29wJitnQvQlvqmxCZf9Y5hdOohUHVXjPDOmRy51AEtpugAbct3I5uuZkPCd6lTf9pI3QhcJXEzBOR8n3JY_9UKb8Nww2VqEP/s320/100_4194.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivA9rYlRYJH_TvxQNx87Gm52gvSszYp7y3Sn817kyTE7jUw_wj21eS3UbVMttwn66350OCQa2ZywHLHDhhOEJKEm6KiulWZT917J3o7Kmtw00RpKwy5MglutVtL0Xj23JEI7mWJz0KG7-y/s1600-h/100_4193.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281950075822810866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivA9rYlRYJH_TvxQNx87Gm52gvSszYp7y3Sn817kyTE7jUw_wj21eS3UbVMttwn66350OCQa2ZywHLHDhhOEJKEm6KiulWZT917J3o7Kmtw00RpKwy5MglutVtL0Xj23JEI7mWJz0KG7-y/s320/100_4193.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH0diDiai0PyO9W5HQfjblMScaICHvm2B3vokLydv9KpfbqwFTFc8IeIXPFs1KQ5veAl5BrY-UrHmr7KCpFEzBOCkrEZVHqC85NrQysU9lDntI_-jQFIUGGTdVSh7dYWR7RHgBRZmPsQA/s1600-h/100_4190.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281740717497333650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH0diDiai0PyO9W5HQfjblMScaICHvm2B3vokLydv9KpfbqwFTFc8IeIXPFs1KQ5veAl5BrY-UrHmr7KCpFEzBOCkrEZVHqC85NrQysU9lDntI_-jQFIUGGTdVSh7dYWR7RHgBRZmPsQA/s320/100_4190.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIO_qTuwbgueitzBzVcwRV-uVnnzOFUtmVhAWfUwbhrKLYHUr_C6T80cF5V91FdSMopnBvC0vT6sPlyygEAAak2lNFHNPcKrQgR4jcZ9VKc1Ucea_cFk5u1INYmb6CRq6ZD7rAGyidfYL/s1600-h/100_4192.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281740438503534066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIO_qTuwbgueitzBzVcwRV-uVnnzOFUtmVhAWfUwbhrKLYHUr_C6T80cF5V91FdSMopnBvC0vT6sPlyygEAAak2lNFHNPcKrQgR4jcZ9VKc1Ucea_cFk5u1INYmb6CRq6ZD7rAGyidfYL/s320/100_4192.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 340px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H56lQt1vYURLHYqQmkcqdcZzxl5aF28swU1J62pYmxNcKnyMdv5zLjW2k-iGE4-gyolUX4CqFh-ITy23s11Ft_EoGw3nAVDTQ5lpasG-mMaZVEiL7l1Dky7aVV8dylLJoum0Bn_Ruuxd/s1600-h/100_4189.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281738994433997922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H56lQt1vYURLHYqQmkcqdcZzxl5aF28swU1J62pYmxNcKnyMdv5zLjW2k-iGE4-gyolUX4CqFh-ITy23s11Ft_EoGw3nAVDTQ5lpasG-mMaZVEiL7l1Dky7aVV8dylLJoum0Bn_Ruuxd/s320/100_4189.jpg" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRFJ78RsT0z96YP89hKKcj4TKpjL3NKKslzlDxORcWqkUscJHEHuJKJXxNjZlhLY5Uq0WSNV93gzNl06l2EqZ6DyzOabpcyYaI9CDYY0acvbdB-FeAQcYzOWS6SNoGtWk-wFRSTlMCfW1/s1600-h/100_4188.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281738798439683458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRFJ78RsT0z96YP89hKKcj4TKpjL3NKKslzlDxORcWqkUscJHEHuJKJXxNjZlhLY5Uq0WSNV93gzNl06l2EqZ6DyzOabpcyYaI9CDYY0acvbdB-FeAQcYzOWS6SNoGtWk-wFRSTlMCfW1/s320/100_4188.jpg" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#666600;">I had sooo much fun today, decorating one of my</span> <span style="color:#666600;">client's homes for the holidays!</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">My client loves everything French . I am a big fan of this casual chic Euro look too. I took my own advice and made sure that the decorations did not detract from the home's existing colors of cream, milk and chalk.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Boxwood garlands abound on stairways, wrapped around the Christmas tree, draped over the entry hall hutch, tucked into silver bowls and white milk pitchers. I used a theme (natural and green ) and just added to it in every nook.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">I uncovered a very large elk horn in my mother's basement last week. I thought it would be the perfect touch on the dining room table ...so it's now on loan for the holidays. I draped her antique pine table in a heavy white quilt. Nestled among the horn is a slightly tarnished sterling silver bowl filled with green apples, it's a family treasure. Fir and cedar bows are tucked underneath. (See photos below.)</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">The entry hall begged for a grand gesture, so I pulled in a cement urn from outside dusted off the snow and filled it sky high with greens and berry covered branches. I made a "collar" out of leftover boxwood garland.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#666600;">The fireplace is so beautiful I didn't want to draw your eye away from it ...so I banked two cypress trees on either side. Instead of pots I wanted a softer look so I wrapped their bases in cream colored broad cloth . </span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">The accessories that I had put together before Christmas for the mantle, worked perfectly so I left them up.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">We bought VERY little to decorate this home...I used family treasures and a few borrowed items to complete this nature inspired French country Christmas.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Hope you have fun decorating your home for the Holidays!</span> </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.kimberleejaynes.com/">http://www.kimberleejaynes.com/</a><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /></div><span style="color:#666600;"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>

It's a Ralph Lauren Christmas!

I had sooo much fun today, decorating one of my client's homes for the holidays! My client loves everything French . I am a big fan ...

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Dare to be different!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNu5GwufcbMGmk9jIuYxWgnoALzqr1saicygF-NBTbWLmQAOZK-VwuMP8OqrYbLDrOyNDDaWYGDzKWblOu4Ug2kCtBntRw88nW-pN4OwwVls8E0S3SPD0XL53lF_Cnso07cSoRUFEuwqg/s1600-h/100_4185.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281742467716465154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNu5GwufcbMGmk9jIuYxWgnoALzqr1saicygF-NBTbWLmQAOZK-VwuMP8OqrYbLDrOyNDDaWYGDzKWblOu4Ug2kCtBntRw88nW-pN4OwwVls8E0S3SPD0XL53lF_Cnso07cSoRUFEuwqg/s320/100_4185.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeSbHsvfnLsbogGtJD6wXrQ7HJ3VFwuKehNUGLrr4xuclm62zAWufpsD-9Xhs7dZ0Ou9KUYnLsuhrcAp0-vjBtl8EFW74unxSBO8k9PXaGqaqRrLIvUOUOaTemxdjFtYm5U_xv4mR-gfD/s1600-h/100_4183.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281742276131817746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeSbHsvfnLsbogGtJD6wXrQ7HJ3VFwuKehNUGLrr4xuclm62zAWufpsD-9Xhs7dZ0Ou9KUYnLsuhrcAp0-vjBtl8EFW74unxSBO8k9PXaGqaqRrLIvUOUOaTemxdjFtYm5U_xv4mR-gfD/s320/100_4183.jpg" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDe8gkzh7EGnz4_Q0uIWwHIefQNAspDRGGHL8l2aSoRCqts1SBiAaySUmDkUHPhRkOQCvugZXUVLm4z41qSEyBXLQv4UJIXKkRUVzZJIS5vGTqGS93HhsEQb2CqLVTdPE6HQs5hPvS-7d/s1600-h/100_4182.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281730223188956466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDe8gkzh7EGnz4_Q0uIWwHIefQNAspDRGGHL8l2aSoRCqts1SBiAaySUmDkUHPhRkOQCvugZXUVLm4z41qSEyBXLQv4UJIXKkRUVzZJIS5vGTqGS93HhsEQb2CqLVTdPE6HQs5hPvS-7d/s320/100_4182.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 366px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 291px" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQkip1TwTXJSc614CuoxguIYuI46RxMAYEh0Vxg6ionMVr4hCk6FG5A73GPEyzfw5CsZBNgCvS41YigKNzp_sUv8VsckfDVZPQqlA31JXqOjPSubxH6V4Sv4W4_CkxxECucvY5SjIjgrG/s1600-h/100_4180.jpg"></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281729865148701970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQkip1TwTXJSc614CuoxguIYuI46RxMAYEh0Vxg6ionMVr4hCk6FG5A73GPEyzfw5CsZBNgCvS41YigKNzp_sUv8VsckfDVZPQqlA31JXqOjPSubxH6V4Sv4W4_CkxxECucvY5SjIjgrG/s320/100_4180.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><span style="color:#666600;">Christmas is almost here and people are frantically decorating their homes. I hope I can help to make your home beautiful with some easy design tips.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"><strong>1. Use what you already have.</strong> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666600;">I had a silver sea shell in the powder room that holds guest soaps. I used it on my dining table at Christmas filled with orchids.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Fill your grandma's glass punch bowl with greens. </span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Use a white quilt as a table cloth.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Fill a pedestal cake plate with votive candles.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Lay down a bed of fresh greens, then fill a large glass bowl with water and float Chinese glass floats and floating candles as a centerpiece.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"><strong>2. Decorate with colors that coordinate with your decor.</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">This is probably the biggest mistake that I see people make each year...they decorate with colors that do not work with their existing decor and it is not enhancing to their home.</span> </div><div><span style="color:#666600;">I used silver and blue to coordinate with my floating home decor.</span><br /><strong><span style="color:#666600;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#666600;">3. Add a touch of whimsy.</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Bring out a ceramic white bunny, wooden horse, iron dragonfly. Look around your garden for decorative element that might be a nice touch inside for the holidays.</span><br /><span style="color:#666600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666600;">And don't forget to have fun with your decor...incorporate things that you might not normally see on a tree...like nestling brightly colored patterned porcelain plates towards the trunk of the tree where they would be secure but add much needed punch!</span></div><div><span style="color:#666600;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666600;"><a href="http://www.kimberleejaynes.com/">www.kimberleejaynes.com</a> </span></div>

Dare to be different!

Christmas is almost here and people are frantically decorating their homes. I hope I can help to make your home beautiful with some easy de...

Read more »